


Saturday Night at the Movies

by itsamagicalplace



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Philinda Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:45:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsamagicalplace/pseuds/itsamagicalplace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye decides that the team need a little bit of time to relax at Christmas, so she sets up a makeshift cinema in the basement. All warm and snuggled up, Melinda falls asleep on Phil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saturday Night at the Movies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [suallenparker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/suallenparker/gifts).



> Written for the Philinda Secret Santa over on Tumblr, for suallenparker :)

December rushed through the base before anybody even realised the seasons had changed.

Skye had decided that something had to be done to cheer everyone up, and getting the team into the Christmas spirit seemed like a good way to go.

They didn’t have a tree, and frankly, there was no chance for anybody to go out and find one either, although Lance did volunteer to literally go and hack one down from the forest nearby.

Instead, Mack and Fitz had a rummage around in the basement, and in a cardboard box hidden away underneath a pile of files, they came across long expanses of strip lighting. With a little adjustment, they managed to string them up around the halls and bannisters of the base, adding a little festive decoration to the Playground.

Jemma and Bobbi took it in turns to bake batches of Christmas cookies for the rest of the team, and Skye and the Koenigs took bets to see who could steal the most without being caught. When Jemma turned around for the third time, half of the plate was gone, and she chased Skye from the room with a whisk, and threats of never baking for the team again, despite Skye’s protests she had only taken two cookies.

May kept quiet, and just watched them arguing, a small smile lifting the corner of her mouth as she ensured she left no trace of crumbs behind her.

Lance kept dragging Bobbi under the mistletoe that seemed to have mysteriously just appeared under certain doorways, and she continued to threaten to never speak to him again if he kept embarrassing her; everyone knew she loved it really.

Coulson had to tell them multiple times to take their amorous behaviour to another room, shielding his eyes and asking himself why on earth he thought it would be a good idea to have the pair working in the base together again.

Trip managed to figure out what some of the old equipment hidden in one of the locked cellar rooms was for, and with some help from Fitz, they set about converting metal boards, lighting, and an amplifier into a movie projector, rigging it up underneath the base and dragging old furniture down there, including sofas and cushions.

Skye searched around online, and torrented every Christmas film she could think of onto her laptop, building a collection of choice for when the projector was finally set up, and before they knew it, Christmas Eve had arrived.

When it got to around nine-pm, she ran around the base, gathering all the agents and dragging them down to the cellar to where the make-shift cinema had been created. May tried to escape, muttering something about having paperwork to do, but Skye simply rolled her eyes in a way that made Coulson laugh - she was definitely taking after her SO in more ways than one - and she pulled her along firmly, ensuring she was sat on the sofa between Bobbi and Coulson, before she headed over to her laptop to scroll through their film options.

Ten minutes later, and all were sat in the quiet, enjoying the first real respite they had gotten in what felt like months.

Lance had sauntered in slightly late, squeezing in next to Bobbi and throwing the cushion to the ground, meaning with some maneuvering there were four of them on the sofa. Melinda was practically leaning against Phil, and trying her hardest not to relax into him; the sofa was not big enough for four people, let alone four fully grown adults.

As the film went on, everyone in the room seemed to gradually shift their positions; Jemma and Fitz leaned back against the couch, their shoulders brushing as they laughed through the movie. Skye and Trip seemed to have gravitated towards one another, the occasional piece of popcorn getting flicked at the other.

After about three-quarters of an hour, Melinda gave up, and leaned against Phil gently. She couldn’t see the smile on his face from where she lay, but as he dropped his arm around her, resting it lightly against her waist, she knew he wasn’t going to make her move.

That man was too damn comfortable.

Jemma and Fitz were the first to leave; Jemma fell asleep leaning against the sofa, only awakening when Fitz prodded her gently, offering to make her a hot drink before bed. She declined, but the two wandered out anyway, exiting with Christmas wishes and thanks to Skye for arranging the evening for everyone.

It was good they were talking again, and although Phil knew things between the two would likely never be the same again, the fact each had their friend back was enough. He watched them leave with a small smile.

Mack excused himself moments later, at the same time as Bobbi and Lance, Lance muttering something about having been comfortable and being dragged from the warmth. His eyes brightened however when Bobbi promised he’d be even more so shortly if he stopped complaining, and he simply followed her from the room like a puppy dog. Mack shook his head behind them, and nodded at his boss goodnight.

Skye flicked the bonus features of the movie on, and the rest of them watched the deleted scenes and outtakes, before Skye finally began yawning, Trip nudging her gently and suggesting that “even those with superpowers need to rest sometimes”.

She’d been having nightmares after going into the temple, but one look at the way Trip was watching her, and Phil could tell the guy was going to do anything to help her.

They really were all like a little family.

Trip and Skye left shortly after, Skye pausing to ask Phil and Melinda if they wanted another movie putting on, smirking slightly when Phil simply glanced down to find Melinda napping against him. He simply nodded, letting Skye choose a second film, and smiled as she thoughtfully turned the volume down lower so as not to wake Melinda back up. 

“Have fun AC” she chimed, as she waved at him and left the room, Trip simply shaking his head and grinning after her.

Phil simply let his arm wrap around Melinda a little closer, happy she had finally found some comfort.

The last few weeks had been hard, hard on everybody, but Melinda had never been able to sleep properly, not since Bahrain.

She murmured something unintelligible, before curling closer to him, her head against his chest, eyelids fluttering. Phil smiled; she was dreaming, and he hoped with everything he had that it wasn’t a nightmare.

They lived nightmares, sleep could at least bring some peace.

Nobody really saw her like this, relaxed, at ease, and completely vulnerable. It was a testament to how much she trusted their little team that she had actually let herself drop off in the first place, when everybody had been sat around them.

He watched the rest of the movie alone, not wanting to move and wake her, and before he knew it the end credits were rolling and it must have been almost two in the morning.

She seemed to sense it was time to wake up as soon as the sounds of the movie ceased, and she squirmed slightly, before lifting her head and blinking into the darkness of the room.

“Hey,” Phil murmured quietly, looking down at her, careful not to make any sudden movements in case she was still half in dream world.

“I fell asleep on you,” she replied, glancing around the room to find it empty, all team mates having left them alone. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he smiled, brushing hair from her face. “It reminded me of the old days.”

He let his fingers linger against her cheek for a moment, before dropping them back down to his side. Melinda lay her head against him once more, after all, he was very comfortable.

“Sentimentalist.”

“I know, it’s one of my charms.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. “You like to think so.”

“And you don’t?”

Her lack of reply was really a response in itself, and Phil wrapped his arm a little tighter around her waist. It was like the old days, back in the academy before everything turned to hell. They were free then, almost innocent, having no idea what the future would bring. Filled with optimism about becoming agents and excitement over their future missions.

They’d not been relaxed like this with each other for many years.

She missed it. So did he.

“Maybe next year we won’t get shot at so much?”

“Unlikely.”

“And let’s say, no hypergraphia either.”

He was trying to make a joke of it, but Melinda could hear the pain behind his words. The last few months had been a nightmare for her, but she could only imagine how hard they had been for him to live through.

“Agreed.”

She glanced up, resting her head against his shoulder, and waited for him to look down at her.

“You tell me though, the moment something changes?”

“Of course,” he murmured, nodding slowly.

“Good” Melinda sighed. Maybe it was because it was late, or maybe just because of how comfortable she was lying against him, but Christmas was a time to tell the truth, right?

She took a deep breath. “Because I can’t lose you again, Phil.”

“You won’t.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can try.”

She smiled slightly at his words, and nodded. “Thank you.”

Neither looked away, just gazed at each other in the light from the screen across the room. It was warm, and comfortable, and as Phil dropped his gaze a few inches to her lips, Melinda couldn’t help but do the same.

They both knew things between them had shifted over the last few years.

He just gazed back into her eyes, and waited for Melinda to make the choice.

Screw it; life was too short.

She leaned up slightly, brushing her lips against his, tasting the lingering combination of popcorn and coffee that rested there, and sighing gently as she felt a hand stroke through her hair. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, and drew her lower lip between his own.

There was no rush, no pressure, no desperate need.

It was a Christmas kiss. And hopefully, the first of many.


End file.
